Lykaina was seated in the circular room which hosted the Spirit's Council amongst all the other Spirits. All eyes were on her in scrutiny. Despite the tense atmosphere, the room was homely with the scent of nature drifting throughout and the flourishing greenery covering every inch of the wall. The room had no roof with the iridescent midnight sky as the ceiling, and every Star was present, witnessing their meeting. She knew why this meeting had been called and deep sorrow held her heart in a tight vice as she mourned the loss of her beloved companion.

The Moon spoke. The voice seemed to mysteriously echo from everywhere but everyone listened attentively to the secretive but captivating voice.

"I have called you all today", it said. "So that we may discuss the consequences of the destined soul I have chosen being cursed".

Again, all Spirits turned to her and she felt her aura nervously pulsate under their heavy gazes.

"Moon Mother, may I speak?" She hesitantly called out, feeling distressed from the situation.

"Yes, you may", the voice replied softly.

"As you know, each of us Spirits represents a carnivorous animal and I represent the Wolf kingdom. Each of us has a soul companion that you gave to us from when we first came together as a way to ease the loneliness and keep us company" Lykiana explained, feeling agony wrap around her heart in a tight vice. "To prevent any threats to my soul companion, I placed a well-known curse on anyone who dared to harm him. I did not foresee that the destined soul would kill and eat my soul companion".

"Your curse was unnecessary and has taken away the sight of the destined one. He has been shunned from his pack. You have altered his destiny and put the lives of all animals under danger", the Moon responded, not particularly unkindly.

A few Spirits glared at her harshly. The Moon Mother had rarely sounded this grave before, so this fated soul must have such a significant destiny - especially if all other species were to be affected. There had never been a destined soul before either, so to have one become cursed was a cause of distress and anger. This potential unknown danger scared some Spirits to their very core. The fox Spirit - Alepou - decided to speak.

"Moon Mother, Lykiana did not intend to do wrong. But how could this fated soul dare to eat a sacred animal? All animals can recognise a soul companion; one cannot kill one by mistake?"

Some Spirits murmured in agreement. A clear rift was slowly forming. Some stood by her side, empathising with her, while the rest grew angry at her perceived recklessness.

"The fated soul - Lykos - was deceived. I do not know how, but his soul was pure and unable to cause unnecessary harm. I suspect that there was foul play at hand. His curse will affect his destiny and in turn, lead to catastrophic, dark events for all animals", the Moon answered. "It could even lead to a return... of the Dark Reign".

All Spirits sat in silence, shocked into stillness. The Dark Reign was an unspoken subject, a dark smear on the light history of the Spirits. It was a time so dark, so terrifying, so disastrous that one would hope to never even hear those words together, ever again. Some of the ancient Spirits witnessed the end of the Dark Reign, most being created much later, but the negative side effects were still seen to this day. It was enough to strike fear into the strongest of hearts. Alepou spoke up again, breaking the growing tense silence skilfully.

"Moon Mother, all curses are reversible. Can't Lykiana reverse the curse she has done?"

Lykiana nodded gratefully at him. It was such a simple solution, one that strangely, she, herself did not think of. The Moon Mother's forewarning had a clear message - Lykos must be returned in order to prevent the rise of Darkness. He had to have his destiny restored at whatever cost.

"She can and she must. I sense great turmoil and trouble ahead. Lykiana, my child, you must go to the Earthly realm and undo your mistake. However, you will be given a mortal body as your punishment. May you learn from your errors and may you be guided by my light".

"Yes Moon Mother, I sincerely repent", she said bowing her head. Her silver locks covered her face and the simmering anger she felt inside. It was only natural for her to place a curse on the fool who decided to eat her sacred animal. How dare he kill and eat her companion? She had seen the mauled body of her wolf. How could one of her own subjects go against her? It didn't matter how important he was or how important he could be, this was unforgivable. And she had fought in the Dark Reign as a newborn Spirit, millenniums ago. She and the others had fought without the need of this 'destined soul' so why was he so special now? She masked her anger as she faced the council again. She didn't need any of them to add fuel to the already burning flames.

"Lykiana, you will be sent down before the Sun rises. Prepare anything you deem necessary for this journey".

"Yes, Moon Mother", she replied quietly.

"You are dismissed". The powerful presence of the Moon disappeared and the room seemed to dim slightly without the Moon Mother's radiant aura. The council began to rise from their individual seats to disband but Lykiana remained seated, her fingers trailing up and down the armrest of her woven seat, absentmindedly. Eros would often rest his head there, so often in fact, that there was a little dip in the sturdy wood. During the long meetings, she would stroke his soft fur and he would watch and nuzzle into her touch. They both relied on each other, desperately so. Now, it was empty.

She felt a sharp pang of jealousy as she watched her fellow spirits with their sacred companions and then noticed Alepou heading towards her alongside a few other Spirits and schooled her bitter face into a calm expression. Alepou's long hair, a deep burnt orange that glowered much like real flames flew gracefully behind him as his fox-like black lined eyes were fixed on her as he approached. His heavy pelted robe spread out behind him elegantly, a sea of twisting flames and smouldering embers.

"Lykiana, I do not fault you. Your soul companion was chosen for you and was supposed to ease the burden that comes with being a Spirit. I think you responded appropriately", Alepou said. His voice dropped slightly as he spoke again. "If the Moon Mother was more clear about the destined soul called Lykos, he would never have been cursed".

"Thank you for your support, Alepou. I am still saddened by my companion's death. He used to hold a part of my soul, and now he is gone, much like a piece of me is eternally missing".

"I, too, would be enraged if one of my subjects killed my companion. Indeed, it is a fate, a burden that I would not wish on my worst foe. I wish you guidance on your trip and await your triumphant return".

Lykiana thanked him and watched sadly as he faded away. Alepou was one of the first Spirits she made an alliance with so all foxes and wolves would ally. He had helped her as she had helped him and their connection ran deep, forged by their history. This situation was different. There had never been a case of a soul companion being murdered. She smiled in grief. She was gifted her soul companion when she was first born as a Spirit and he had been by her side for many millennia. Her companion held a part of her soul and now he was gone, stolen from her by Lykos, whoever that bastard was.

She sighed as she stood, her glimmering thin robe falling behind her. It was hard being the spirit of the Wolf kingdom as they were natural leaders for all the other animals, thus a lot of responsibility fell upon her. All eyes watched her constantly, never-ending surveillance. She began for the door, her robe billowing out behind her when Fidi, the Snake Spirit appeared in her path, her robe iridescent with the swirling patterned scales. Her eyes were nothing more than harsh slits but the venom in them was evident. She hissed at her, her split tongue making an unwanted appearance, dipping in and out of her mouth as she swayed, before she suddenly disappeared, leaving Lykiana to feel deeply unsettled from the encounter.

She left the large chamber which hosted the Spirit's Council and headed for her dwelling. Her home was an open forest with a few items scattered around, loosely packed with trees, mirroring the habitat of her people. On a small tree stump was a clear bottle and she immediately understood that the Moon Mother must have left it there for her to drink, in order to gain a mortal body. Spirits could not stay in the mortal realm for long so the potion would help her stay there longer.

Holding the thin clear crystalline bottle, she looked around her. She needed to take nothing but there was a deep sadness about leaving her beautiful home for an unknown period of time. Though she had never slept, she had many fond memories of her home with her soul companion, Eros and it was truly the only place where she was ever alone.

The Spirits had an unspoken hierarchy of sorts, with the ancient ones at the very top. Although they were equal and bias was forbidden, as an ancient one, she was constantly observed by all Spirits, every move scrutinised and copied.

Lykiana opened the bottle and drank, the silvery liquid pouring down her throat. As soon as she capped the bottle and placed it on the side, an unbearable pain tore throughout her body. She felt her limbs become heavy as every nerve ending burned and burned as if she was left in a roaring inferno. She opened her mouth in a wordless scream as her Spirit form fell away to something heavier and as the darkness crept over her mind, she noticed a hazy figure standing above her, furiously chanting something she couldn't hear.

Then she closed her eyes, succumbing to mortal slumber.

How was that?

It's a lot easier to write this than Captivated for some weird reason.

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